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Animal Politics

Module description

This module will explore a series of case studies where the treatment of animals leads to more-than-human political friction. Each case (e.g. zoonotic risk and ‘wet markets’, the illegal wildlife trade, the international moratorium on whale hunting, cow consumption among Muslim communities in India, etc.) demands a combination of political and anthropological analysis to be thoroughly explored and understood. Using existing scholarship on racialisation, social and political stigmatisation, or scapegoating, you will explore how animals (and the way they are commodified) are often used as political instruments in complex power dynamics that divide communities.

The module is open to non-specialist students.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module aims to:

1. introduce you to the study of animals and politics through engagement with a wide range of ethnographic case studies;

2. provide you with the tools and information needed to analyse, in a theoretically rigorous manner, the many and varied ways in which humans make use of other animals for political reasons.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. debate on a range of human instrumentalization of other animals
• 2. discuss some of the anthropological and political implications of the different ways in which certain human groups perceive and position other animals in relation to other human and animal groups
• 3. apply appropriate theoretical models to facilitate an analysis of animal politics
• 4. situate specific animal politics within socio-historical context

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. show some appreciation of the synergies and conflicts between anthropology and politics in relation to theorising human-animal interactions
• 6. recognise the contested nature of knowledge and demonstrate an ability to consider animal politics in a reflexive and critically analytical manner
• 7. consider the ethical dimensions of animal politics, especially in relation to the practical application of anthropological and political knowledge

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 8. plan, undertake and present written work of a scholarly standard that demonstrates an understanding of anthropological and political aims, methods and theoretical considerations and engages with the (published) work of others
• 9. engage in constructive group discussions, and present/defend material verbally (during seminars).

Syllabus plan

The module will engage with a wide range of case studies which detail how humans use other animals as instruments of power, differentiation, and sovereignty. Key theoretical issues will also be explored.

While the content of the module is likely to change every year, the following case studies are likely to be explored:

• Zoonotic risk and “wet markets” in East Asia (including the illegal wildlife trade)
• The international moratorium on whale hunting
• Dog meat consumption in South Korea
• Bullfighting in Spain
• The use of elephants in Thai tourism
• Cow consumption among Muslim communities in India
• The international efforts to extend human rights to great apes
• Greyhound racing in the UK
• The badger cull in the South West of England
• Fox hunting across Europe
• Dog fighting in the United States
• Cultured meat and the rise of veganism
• The accusations of extremism and racism against animal activists

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Same 50-50 split as original assessment

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Boisseron, Bénédicte. 2018. Afro-dog: Blackness and the animal question. Columbia University Press.
• Cassidy, Angela. 2020. Vermin, victims and disease: British debates over bovine tuberculosis and badgers. Palgrave Macmillan.
• De Waal, Franz. 2000. Chimpanzee politics: Power and sex among apes. John Hopkins University Press.
• Dugnoille, Julien 2021. Dogs and cats in South Korea: Itinerant commodities. Purdue University Press.
• Kim, Claire Jean. 2015. Dangerous crossings: Race, species, and nature in a multicultural age. Cambridge University Press.
• Singer, Peter, and Poala Cavalieri. 1993. The Great Ape Project: Equality beyond humanity. Fourth Estate.
• Weaver, Harlan. 2021. Bad dog: Pitbull politics and multispecies justice. University of Washington Press.
• Wong, Rebecca, Y. 2020. The illegal wildlife trade in China: Understanding the distribution networks. Palgrave Macmillan.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/

Key words search

Animals, Politics, Anthropology, Power, Conflict, Culture, Norms, Taboo